Englewood, New Jersey, September 26, 2024
antiochian.org
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America announced an ambitious goal for the next two years: to raise $1 million of support for widowed clergy wives.
The Antiochian Women 2023–2024 Project was already devoted to the establishment of an endowment fund for widowed khourias. Thanks to the generosity of the faithful and an anonymous donor who made a matching pledge, just under $400,000 were raised.
And now, His Eminence Metropolitan Saba has given his blessing to continue fundraising for the same cause with a goal of $1 million, the Archdiocese reports.
Antiochian Women Vice President Khouria Suzanne Murphy explains the lofty goal:
Though this million-dollar goal may sound like a huge sum of money, in fact all these funds will form the core of the endowment fund and will not be expended. Only the yearly dividends generated by this principle will be used to give financial support to our widowed clergy-wives. This is the reason that we have set such a high goal—we want to be able to have enough return on investment each year to be able to make a positive contribution to the well-being of our beloved widowed Khourias. The return on even a million dollars, divided by the number of widowed Khourias, will only provide a modest gift – enough to perhaps offset some of their daily living expenses. So, the larger the endowment, the more we will be able to contribute to them each year.
Kh. Suzanne calls the faithful to unite their efforts over the next two years to support the Church and honor the women who, alongside their husbands, dedicated their lives to the Archdiocese’s parishes. These widowed khourias remain “spiritual mothers,” deserving continued care and recognition. Through this endowment fund, the Antiochian Women aim to tangibly improve their lives, ensuring they’re not forgotten in retirement.
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